


Cobra Kai Never Dies

by PennedByLynn



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Aggression, Alternative Perspective, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Friendship, Insecurity, Missing Scene, One Shot, Trauma, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27106006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennedByLynn/pseuds/PennedByLynn
Summary: As Hawk sits in the hospital waiting room, desperate for information on Miguel's condition, he recalls the trauma of watching his best friend get kicked over the railing. Part missing scene, part character study, this one-shot looks at the final fight from Hawk's perspective and how he's handling the aftermath.Set during the Season 2 finale, likely a few hours before Johnny arrives at the dojo.
Relationships: Miguel Diaz & Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	Cobra Kai Never Dies

**_“We were enemies for a day. We’re Cobra Kai for life.”_ **

Hawk’s leg bounced with an almost frenetic energy, his right sneaker threatening to wear a hole in the waiting room floor. He couldn’t stop his leg from shaking. Why couldn’t he stop it? The harder he tried to suppress the tremor, the more erratic it became. Just like he couldn’t stop his clasped hands from trembling as they rested on his knees. 

Frustrated, he pushed out of the chair with a grunt. Sitting wasn’t doing him any good. He was sore all over but his body was itching to be in motion. His fists curled instinctively, paused only slightly by a shooting pain in his left shoulder. One of the larger shards of glass had managed to burrow its way in there. He didn’t even notice it until he was on the ER exam table.

It wasn’t surprising, really. He’d only noticed the glass in his palms because he’d pressed them further beneath the surface when trying to stand up. 

_Anger and shame coursed through his veins as he realized he’d just had his ass handed to him by Demetri of all people. The coward hadn’t even stuck around. He’d just muttered a mocking “Sorry, Eli” and disappeared back into the crowd._

_Hawk wanted nothing more than to escape the stares and the voyeuristic phone cameras that were tracking his every move when he heard Miguel’s voice. “She doesn’t love you, she loves me!” he yelled._

_Trying to get a better view, Hawk pushed his way through the crowd near the second-floor staircase. Through the rails on the upper balcony, he could see flashes of Miguel’s salmon-colored hoodie. The fight was too far from the railing for him to see what was happening but it didn’t matter. When a fellow Cobra is in need, you had his back._

_He took one deep breath and closed his eyes, exhaling out the pain and exhaustion in his bones. Just as he was about to charge up the flight of stairs, his eyes flew open to catch another flash of pink. Everything happened in slow motion. Miguel flipped backwards over the balcony. Hawk could do nothing but watch in horror as his best friend fell past him onto the railing on the lower level._

_Too much was happening. His senses were overwhelmed. His stomach lurched and he caught himself just as his knees were about to buckle. With slow, deliberate steps he made his way over to Miguel’s unconscious figure. His face twisted in rage as he looked for the culprit. All he saw was Robby Keene's hair whipping as he turned and ran. That coward was going to pay._

_Hawk moved mechanically down the stairs. As he knelt over Miguel’s twisted body, he scanned for signs of life. He was screaming for Miguel to wake up. Or was that just in his head? His right hand clasped his knee but he wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch Miguel’s arm. Just to make sure he had a pulse. Just to make sure this was actually happening._

_The last clear thing he remembered was being pushed out of the way by a man in a uniform. Everything that happened next was a blur of shouting and sirens and so many hands touching/directing him. Didn’t they know his skin was on fire? They kept talking to him and he couldn’t do anything but stare. How could they possibly think he was able to understand what they were saying. The clatter of voices was too much and he clutched his hands over his ears to block it out. It was like he just kept fading out._

_Fade in: he was sitting on a gurney in an ambulance. Someone was asking for his name. He remembered handing his phone to the EMT._

_Fade in: his parents burst into the ER. Tears were streaming down his mother’s face. A doctor was stitching up his shoulder._

_Fade in: he was following his parents through one of the many hospital hallways. Aisha called out from a waiting room chair. His mom tried to offer him the pain medication she’d just picked up from the pharmacy._

**_“Pain does not exist in this dojo.”_ **

No, screw that. For once Hawk didn’t want to erase the pain. He didn’t want to ignore it. He wanted - no, he needed - the reminder. Demetri, Keene, and the rest of those Miyagi-Do cowards were going to pay for what they’d done. He’d pushed his mom’s hand away, using the pain to bring himself back to the surface. His lip had pulled into a sneer as he thought about hunting down Keene and making him suffer. 

But that would have to wait. As Hawk paced the corner of the waiting room, his eyes scanned the hallway for any signs of Mrs. Diaz. Aisha had left a while ago, as had his dad. He couldn’t believe his mom had let him stay. Maybe she was just putting off the inevitable too. Either way, he knew he didn’t have much longer before she insisted they return home.

God how long was it going to be before they’d heard something? It’d already been 3 hours. 3 hours and he didn’t know if - 

Shut up, shut up, shut up! 

He flexed his hands again and again, desperate for something else to focus on. He wasn’t going there. He wasn’t going to think about his best friend lying in a hospital bed. He wasn’t going to think about the horrific crack Miguel’s back had made when it hit the railing. He wasn’t going to think about the fact that one fight might have changed Miguel’s life forever.

If he thought about it he was going to fall apart. And falling apart was for pussies.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his mom looking on worriedly. He was scaring her and he knew it. She kept looking for Eli and she found less of him with each passing day.

For a fleeting moment, he wanted to bury his head in her shoulder like he’d done as a kid. He wanted her to bake him cookies and run her fingers through his hair. He wanted her to tell him it was going to be okay. 

He wanted to come clean about everything that had happened in the past few months. He was sick of lying and putting on yet another mask around the house. He already worked so hard to be a badass at school and at the dojo, to make his actions seem cool and effortless. He was growing tired. He wanted to let his mom back in but he didn’t know how.

Words had never been his strong suit and lately talking seemed more difficult than ever. How could he possibly explain that every little thing set him on edge these days? How could he make her see that his anger was seeping through every open wound he had?

Eli would’ve broken down and told her long ago. But Eli was a freak and a coward. And Hawk had had enough of running and hiding. 

**_“Defeat does not exist in this dojo.”_ **

Well that just wasn’t true anymore was it? All he’d felt lately was defeat. They’d all lost today, especially Miguel. Hawk couldn’t understand. What had happened on that top floor? There’s no way Miguel should’ve lost to Keene, of all people. Miguel was a way better fighter.

If his own fight with Demetri had been filmed, surely the showdown between Miguel and Keene had been captured too. He’d have to look for it later. Right now, he couldn’t handle the thought of reliving that scene again.

Exhaustion coursed through his veins. He pulled out his phone to check the time, ignoring the texts and the Instagram notifications. He’d managed to convince his mom to stay at the hospital so he could check in on Miguel but the longer he waited, the worse he felt.

What the hell was taking so long? Was he in surgery? How bad were his injuries? For the first time that day, the gravity of the situation truly began to sink in. Hawk was frustrated with waiting a few hours? It might be days before he could see his friend. It might be weeks until he was able to leave the hospital.

 _If_ he left.

Hawk clenched his fists at his side as they started to shake yet again. He wasn’t going to lose Miguel. He _couldn’t_ lose Miguel. 

**_“Cobra Kai never dies”_ **… right? 

Sometimes Hawk felt like Miguel was the only one who really got him these days. He hadn’t abandoned him after the mall fight like Moon. He hadn’t stayed mad at him after learning Hawk had vandalized Miyagi-Do. Hell, Miguel had actually been the one to apologize the day after Coyote Creek.

It wasn’t a surprise really. Miguel had always been the better man. How else could he have stomached being friends with dweeby Eli? Back when nobody but Demetri wanted anything to do with him, Miguel had been there. He’d stood up for Eli. It was the first time anyone had done that.

He’d never had a chance to tell Miguel how much the simple act had meant to him. Eli was far too timid and embarrassed. Hawk didn’t want to bring up the past, not when Miguel had finally started looking at him with respect. Besides, they were bros now. They didn’t have to talk about this stuff. Miguel would always have his back.

Now it was Hawk’s chance to return the favor. Keene was going to pay. Hawk didn’t care how long he had to wait. What’s that word Sensei Kreese had taught them? Brumation.

He wasn’t doing Miguel any good in this waiting room. Aisha had mentioned she had Ms. Diaz’s phone number. Maybe she could update him on Miguel’s condition later tonight. As he walked over to his mom, he tried to figure out how he’d convince her to let him go to the dojo tonight. He couldn’t lose even a day of training. He was going to be ready. He was done losing.

Hawk paused to wonder if the dojo would even be open tonight. He was pretty sure he’d seen Sensei Lawrence leave when he’d been exiting the ER wing. It was worth a shot. He’d look up the video of the fight so he could tell Sensei what had really happened. Sure, Keene was his son but this was Miguel they were talking about.

He could bide his time. Sensei didn’t need to know why Hawk wanted to increase his training. Every single member of Cobra Kai had lost today. Surely that was motivation enough. Miguel was always going to Sensei Lawrence for badass advice. Maybe, just once, Hawk could get a little guidance too.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my take on the events of the S2 finale from Hawk’s perspective. It’s hard to tell where Hawk is during the end of the Robby/Miguel fight but we see him immediately after the fall. I wanted to explore what his reaction would be if all he saw of those final moments was Robby kicking Miguel off the balcony. Not having immediate context for the fight shifts a few other things too. If he doesn’t know that Miguel showed mercy, he doesn’t really have a reason to blame Johnny yet. 
> 
> I really love the characters in Cobra Kai, especially Hawk, and I wanted to try my hand at writing fic. Especially since this fandom is still pretty small. If you have a request or want to see my Cobra Kai rants/analysis/meta, you can check out my tumblr: brizzlovesyou.tumblr.com. 
> 
> K I’m really nervous about posting this so I’m going to run and hide now. If you made it this far, thank you for reading <3


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